Bed height adjustment system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9623779-B2
Application number	US-201314761848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2013
Priority date	Jan 18, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A bed height adjustment system for adjusting height of a bed of a vehicle includes: an air spring supporting the bed; a valve unit connected to an air tank and configured to adjust height of the air spring by supplying and discharging air; a relay provided with a dump-signal line and a return-signal line each connected to the valve unit; a pressure switch configured to be switched between an ON state and an OFF state based on whether air is supplied from the valve unit; and an indicator that becomes illuminated state when powered when the pressure switch is in the ON state and becomes non-illuminated state when the pressure switch is in the OFF state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bed height adjustment system for adjusting height of a bed of a vehicle comprising:
an air spring supporting the bed;
a valve unit connected to an air tank and configured to adjust the height of the bed by adjusting a height of the air spring by supplying and discharging air;
an electric relay provided with a dump-signal line and a return-signal line each connected to the valve unit;
a pressure switch configured to be switched between an ON state and an OFF state based on whether air is supplied from the valve unit; and
an indicator that becomes illuminated state when powered when the pressure switch is in the ON state and becomes non-illuminated state when the pressure switch is in the OFF state,
wherein the valve unit adjusts the height of the air spring into a dump mode by inputting a signal of the dump-signal line, returns the height of the air spring into a normal mode by inputting a signal of the return-signal line, and maintains the dump mode or the normal mode when no signal is input.

2. The bed height adjustment system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the valve unit comprises:
a magnetic valve connected to the air tank; and
a discharge valve configured to adjust the height of the air spring into the dump mode by discharging air in the air spring during an open state of the magnetic valve,

wherein the magnetic valve is connected to the dump-signal line and the return-signal line, and
wherein the magnetic valve switches into the open state by inputting the signal of the dump-signal line, switches into a closed state by inputting the signal of the return-signal line, and maintains the open state or the closed state when no signal is input.

3. The bed height adjustment system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the discharge valve is connected to the air tank and configured as a leveling valve for adjusting the height of the air spring by supplying and discharging air.

4. The bed height adjustment system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a dump switch to switch the height of the bed between the dump mode and the normal mode, the dump switch being selectively connected to the dump-signal line and the return-signal line.

5. The bed height adjustment system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a dump switch to switch the height of the bed between the dump mode and the normal mode, the dump switch being selectively connected to the dump-signal line and to the return-signal line; and
a parking brake detection unit that detects whether a parking brake of the vehicle is working or released,
wherein the magnetic valve switches into the open state when the dump switch is operably connected to the dump-signal line and the parking brake detection unit detects that the parking brake is working.

Assignees

• Hino Motors Ltd

Inventors

• Mochizuki Takashi

Classifications

• B60G2300/38

  Low or lowerable bed vehicles · CPC title

• B60G2600/204

  Joystick actuated suspension · CPC title

• B60G17/052

  Pneumatic spring characteristics (B60G17/048 takes precedence {; valves per se F16K}) · CPC title

• B60G2300/02

  Trucks; Load vehicles · CPC title

• B60G11/27

  wherein the fluid is a gas · CPC title